"This katana has been passed down in my family since its existence," Satsuki explained. "My given name is Uchiwa Satsuki. Uchiwa is an old clan of swordsmen, and each generation has used that sword."
"How come you want to give up such a precious weapon?" Naru asked.
"The Uchiha clan has no further need for it." Satsuki smiled sweetly and withdrew a picture from her pocket. "That's me and my husband, Kiryuin Kagami, on the day of our wedding," she said and handed the picture to Naru. "Our marriage was arranged by our parents, with the means to join together two of the ruling clans of West blue, the Uchiwa clan and the Kiryuin clan."
Satsuki paused and took a sip of her tea. "The Kiryuin clan only uses bows and arrows," she continued. "When I was younger, I was trusted with this katana, and I kept using it until I became too old. My children, whose names were Kiryuin, never got the chance to even hold it. They were all trained in archery."
"Can't you give it to someone else from the Uchiwa clan?"
"Oh no," Satsuki said with a quiet giggle. "The one who is trusted with it may never give it to another clan member. It would be high treason if I gave it to my sister's children."
"But it's okay to give it to a complete stranger?" Naru asked in disbelief.
Satsuki nodded. "There are no rules against that in the clan," she said.
Naru fell silent and looked over at Kurama, who obviously was too occupied to examine the katana to listen to even a word Satsuki was saying. He had pulled the sword halfway out of its sheath, and was using his thumb to lightly prod the sharp edge.
A sigh escaped Naru's lips and she let the picture flutter down into the table. "What would you have us do?" she asked.
Satsuki's eyes widened. "Does that mean you'll help me?" she asked slowly.
"I didn't say–"
"Yes."
Both Naru and Satsuki turned to stare at Kurama. He slid the katana back into its holder with a loud clack and smiled at Naru, whose expression hardened.
"This isn't up to you, Kurama," she said sternly. "You're not the captain, remember?"
"Well, cap'n, it so happens that ya owe me a sword," Kurama said gleefully. "If ya want me ta help ya become the Pirate King, I ain't gonna be much help with some random sword ya can buy fer 40,000 beli." He paused to poke Naru's shoulder with the katana. "I know ya want me ta be fully equipped, and a sword like this would cost ya about... 400,000 beli? Probably more."
Naru's frown softened as she realized he was right. This was a once in a lifetime chance for a superb weapon, and it would cost them nothing else than a favor. And she felt bad for Satsuki, who obviously had no other option than to beg pirates for help.
A fem moments of silence passed before Naru sighed. "Alright," she said and smiled at Satsuki. "We'll help you. But I'm not helping you because he wants me to." She slapped the back of Kurama's head. "Nor because of the reward. I'm helping you because I want to help you."
Satsuki's eyes lit up and she bowed her head. "Thank you so much," she said, her voice thick with emotions. "I truly appreciate this."
"Second that," Kurama jingled and slid his new katana through his belt. "Thanks, cap'n."
Naru grinned at Kurama before turning back to Satsuki. "So, what would you have us do?"
"Ah, yes." Satsuki quickly rubbed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. "As I said, I want you to help my grandchild, Sasuke, with something. He's been more aggressive lately, and, although he hasn't told me anything, I think it has to do with his bow."
She withdrew another picture from her pocket. It showed a young boy with raven hair, who was clutching an ornate bow to his chest. "That's Sastuke when he was seven years old. The bow he's holding is another relic from our family. Just as this katana has been passed from generation to generation in the Uchiwa clan, that bow has been passed through the Kiryuin clan. My son, Sasuke's father, gave it to Sasuke before he passed away, and Sasuke values it higher than anything else, his life included."
Naru examined the bow in the picture. It seemed to be made of some sort of black material, and a faint green glow emitted from the handle. "What makes you think it has anything to do with his behavior?" she asked.
"Lately, Sasuke hasn't been carrying it around. He has always kept it strapped over his shoulder, even when he had no use for it. He won't tell me anything, but I fear it's been stolen."
"Stolen?"
Satsuki nodded. "Before he started acting up, he used to come down to the village once a day to sell whatever he hunted, but now he can disappear for days at the time. My guess is, he's searching for the person who stole the bow from him."
"He doesn't live in the village?" Naru asked.
"Ya saw the sign when we got here, right?" Kurama piped up. "A stray sign pointed at the forest. That's where that brat lives, yeah?" He arched an eyebrow at Satsuki, who nodded once more.
"Yes," she said. "His father raised a house in the woods when Sasuke was born. Said it would make the boy strong, to live deep within the forest."
Naru hummed and rocked back and forth on her chair a couple of times. "Well," she said and stood up. "I suppose we'd better head out. If we're gonna help him, we might as well start now."
"Aye, cap'n."
"Thank you," Satsuki said again. "I hope you can find a way to help Sasuke. And please," she added as they were heading for the door. "Try not to mind his temper. I know he loves to provoke others, but..."
"Got it." Naru smiled at her before walking outside. "Well then," she said when the door closed behind Kurama. "That katana should be more than enough leverage for you to stop calling me sweetheart, don't you think?"
Kurama chuckled. "There ain't a fancy enough katana in the world fer that, sweetheart," he said. "But it's enough ta keep me from callin' ya that in public."
Naru ignored him and started moving towards the mountains. "I leave you in charge of watching my temper when we find that idiot," she said and sent Kurama a smirk over her shoulder. "Let's go make ourselves worthy of Satsuki's reward."
"Right behind ya."